Back to you
by marivon
Summary: Post 2:13. Lucifer has been gone from Los Angeles for two months now and is still plotting his revenge against his father while trying to get a grip on his feelings for Chloe. Suddenly he realizes that Chloe is in great danger and rushes back to L.A.
1. Chapter 1

'Here's your drink, gorgeous' the red-haired bar tender said with a lustful smile as she eyed the handsome stranger who had ordered ten drinks from her in the last forty minutes and still didn't seem drunk.

'So what brings you to San Francisco?'

Her words interrupted his reveries. Lucifer stared back at her and then gave her a faint smile. When he had left Los Angeles two months earlier, his intention had been to get as far away from his deceitful family as possible. But the thought of Chloe still recovering from her near-death experience, of her vulnerability somehow made him stay relatively close by. He was pretty sure that Maze, Amenadiel and his mother were looking for him but they would focus on big cities with plenty of nightclubs and never find the small villa on the beach that he had rented about an hour's drive from San Francisco. He had spent the last eight weeks planning his revenge on his father and trying to get a handle on his feelings for Chloe. His revenge plans were coming along nicely but he was not very successful in keeping his love for Chloe under control. No matter how much whisky he drank, she was always there. He had tried sex with other women but had stopped just minutes into the act of seduction on both accounts because he had only felt sadness at not being able to be with Chloe.

'Oh, just getting some supplies in for a quiet weekend at my beach villa' he replied and in order to avoid her eyes he pretended to be interested in the news shown on the TV screen to his left. It seemed to work as the bar tender left him be. As the news moved on to entertainment and sport, Lucifer slipped out of his seat ready to leave the rather squalid bar when a name on the TV screen caught his attention: 'Decker'.

'Can you turn the volume up on that, please, love?' he urged the bar tender as he moved closer to the TV. The tension in his voice made her comply quickly. A tall, blond journalist was replying to the anchor's question.

'Yes, Pete, as you have just said, for the first time in a long time a live transmission of a cultural event was interrupted last night as beloved actress Penelope Decker was taken ill last night during the Los Angeles Film Critics Association gala while she was accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award. The whole scene was aired live and the video of Ms Decker's collapse on stage has been shared on social media hundreds of times since. This is unconfirmed but it looks like Penelope Decker may have suffered a massive heart attack and she is in intensive care as we speak. Let us take you through the footage from last night which ends in quite an emotional scene involving Penelope's family who were obviously also there to celebrate her achievement…'

'Oh, Chloe' was all Lucifer could think.

He stared at the screen as they played the footage: the camera swung from the host doing Penelope's _laudatio_ to Penelope's table. A close-up of Penelope during the speech and one of Chloe's beautiful face followed. Just seeing her on the TV screen caused Lucifer to inhale sharply.

As the host called her up onto the stage, everyone stood up and applauded her. Penelope turned to Chloe and gave her a hug before kissing Trixie on the head. Seeing the little urchin like that made Lucifer realize that he missed even her.

The reporter then moved on to commenting the footage of the actual collapse:

'Penelope was already holding her left arm as she walked up the steps and about two and a half minutes into her speech, just as she was thanking her daughter Chloe for 'putting up with a mother who was both absent a lot and pushy at the same time', she collapsed into a heap on the stage. As we can see, within seconds her daughter is at her side, followed by her granddaughter Beatrice and several other people intent on helping. This man, later identified as Beatrice's father Daniel Espinoza, is trying to get the distraught 9 year old away from her grandmother while we can hear Chloe Decker yelling for an ambulance as well as for people to turn the cameras off. The live transmission was in fact terminated just as the paramedics arrived on scene.'

The live recording stopped at exactly the moment a tall, blond paramedic bent over Penelope's limp body. She only looked into the camera for a split second but that was enough for Lucifer to recognize her.

His heart was racing as he left the bar in a hurry. He needed to get to Los Angeles as fast as possible. As he started the engine, he quickly looked the video up again on Youtube and double-checked although he knew already what he had seen: his sister Azrael, the Angel of Death, bent of Penelope and only inches away from his beloved Chloe.


	2. Chapter 2

Penelope was in intensive care in the same hospital where he had seen Chloe for the last time two months ago. She had been wearing a lot of make-up for the gala and had looked gorgeous as ever but if he was not mistaken she had lost some weight (not that she needed to be any skinnier than she already was) and there had been a strain on her face even before her mother's collapse. Perhaps that was just due to the fact that she didn't like the limelight or maybe she had had an argument with Penelope or Detective Douche earlier. Or maybe she was missing him as much as he missed her? Lucifer scoffed at himself for letting himself forget for a second that Chloe's feelings for him were not real but the result of divine manipulation of the cruelest kind.

He took a deep breath as he left the elevator on the seventh floor. What was he doing here? Azrael was not really going to be standing over Penelope's bed waiting for him: her cover as a paramedic would not allow her to just linger around the hospital like that, he hoped. All he really had to do was to pray to her and she would come to him, no doubt wanting her knife back. He could, of course, have called her to him in San Francisco and lured her away from Chloe and her family but he hadn't. He wanted to protect Chloe but he also needed to see her, be near her once more before confronting Azrael. Because, let us not kid ourselves, once the Angel of Death had her knife back she might well fly him back to Hell against his will or simply obliterate him as he had done to Uriel.

Lucifer was walking down the corridor towards Penelope's room when he saw Chloe sitting outside on a bench next to Maze and little Trixie who seemed to be asleep. Chloe was still wearing the gorgeous dress she had worn the night before and a suit jacket over it (Dan's, no doubt!). She had taken her shoes off and was hugging her knees, simply staring into space. Lucifer's heart skipped a beat and it took all of his will not to run over to her and scoop her up into his arms.

Maze saw him first and before he could take another step forward or away from them, she whispered softly to Chloe. All of a sudden awoken from the daze she'd been in, Chloe jumped up and before Lucifer knew what was coming for him, she was sobbing into his chest. He had expected her to be angry, to slap him, to yell at him but definitely not this. He could not help himself: he pulled her in even tighter and rested his chin on her head, fighting back tears. What cruelty his father was submitting him to! How was this fair on him or on Chloe? And how foolish of him to think he could somehow control his love for her!

'Lucifer' Chloe's voice was no more than a whisper. It sent shivers up and down his spine. She had taken a step back and was trying to catch his eye and after a brief hesitation, he held her gaze trying not to drown in the emotions stirring inside him.

'Chloe, how's your mother?' he managed to ask in a broken voice.

'It's not looking good but, you know, we're kinda hoping for a miracle' she replied and he couldn't help but notice a sharp edge to her voice when she uttered the word 'miracle'. For a second, her eyes had hardened into cold steel but then her expression softened again as she stroked his cheek with a trembling, unsteady hand.

'You need to go with Maze now' Chloe said, all of a sudden breaking all physical contact with him. She moved away from him, sat down and quickly laid Trixie's sleeping head onto her lap. Maze and Chloe hugged briefly while Lucifer was still dumbfounded by the reception Chloe had given him, the burning sensation in his face where she had touched him and the void he felt now that she had moved away from him.

'Yes, let's go…' said Maze and as she moved towards him, she mouthed 'find Azrael's blade.'

Right. Azrael. The reason he had come back to Los Angeles. His sister who most probably was responsible for the state Penelope was in at the moment. Just one more of his fellow angel siblings come to manipulate him.

'Go, we'll be fine' said Chloe rather quietly as she held Lucifer's gaze once more although he wasn't sure what he should read into her intense gaze.

As Maze dragged him away from the love of his life, he glanced back but Chloe wasn't looking at him any longer. She was pulling out her phone and texting someone, by the looks of it.

'Lucifer, come on. Azrael is waiting and I doubt Penelope has long to live so let's get this over with, OK?' He had also expected Maze to be angry at him for leaving but she seemed glad to see him, as well.

'OK, let's go and give her hell' Lucifer replied, trying on his devilish smile which he hadn't broken out in months.


	3. Chapter 3

As they drove towards the cemetery where Lucifer had hidden away Azrael's blade in a neglected mausoleum, Maze was not very forthcoming with information about how Chloe had dealt with his disappearance.

'I think it's best you talk to Chloe herself once Azrael gets her blade and makes Penelope better' she offered when Lucifer pressed her on the matter. Was that a smile she was trying to hide from him? Lucifer felt anger mounting in his chest.

'So yet another sibling of mine intent to hurt Chloe and her family' he growled.

'Well, Azrael has been here for weeks and was looking for you all over. We all have. Then she just got impatient and thought she should get your attention somehow' Maze replied. 'And it looks like it worked.'

'So where have you been, if you don't mind me asking?' Maze asked after a few minutes of silence.

He didn't reply.

'Oh, I see, in case you decide to leave again… Well, it can't be far as the story of Penelope's heart attack was aired around 10pm last night and as I doubt that you'd watch that live, you must have seen the news at some stage during the night or this morning. And you've not flown in, we were checking all the airports.'

It felt good somehow that they had been looking for him. 'All of us', Maze had said but Lucifer didn't dare ask if that included Chloe. How was she not mad at him? It must be the shock of her mother being so close to death that caused her reaction.

As they were approaching the cemetery, Lucifer tried to put aside all his thoughts of Chloe. He needed to focus on Azrael.

'So do we know what Azrael's plan is? And has Father sent her?' he asked. This time, Maze was more forthcoming with information. Azrael had arrived three weeks ago and had demanded her blade back. As nobody except Lucifer knew where it was and as the presence of the Angel of Death on earth for any prolonged period of time meant even more death and destructions, the efforts to find Lucifer intensified. Azrael either already knew or found out that Chloe was Lucifer's weak spot and decided that going after her family would send a clear message to her brother that it was time to give the knife back. Amenadiel and their mother had managed to dissuade her from putting Trixie into a near-death situation so she had gone for Penelope.

Lucifer's blood was boiling. Trixie? Really? What was his celestial family? A bunch of wannabe murderers and manipulators of the worst kind!

'How did she do it? Angels are still not allowed to hurt humans, last time I checked anyway' he snarled at Maze as if it was all her fault.

'We don't know but we suspect she tricked someone into helping her, you know someone who's not an angel. Just like when your mother commissioned that bomb to blow up Chloe.'

Lucifer gritted his teeth at the memory of that. They had finally arrived and as they made their way to the mausoleum Maze grabbed him by the elbow and said, somewhat out of the blue: 'It will be OK, I really believe it will.' And there it was again, the onset of a smile which she quickly wiped of her face.

Ten minutes later, they were back in the car, Azrael's blade safely tucked away in Lucifer's interior suit pocket. He had wanted to pray to Azrael as soon as he had laid his hand on the blade but then Maze came out with some shocking information: Amenadiel and their mother were holding Azrael prisoner at Lucifer's apartment at Lux.

'How is that even possible, holding an angel prisoner?' he said, rather annoyed that he couldn't get this over with and get Penelope out of life danger right there, right then. He didn't particularly want to see his mother, either.

'Well, it is. And it'll all be OK, Lucifer' Maze said.

'Since when are you so optimistic?' Lucifer snarled as he drove off.

'Well, my roommate's humanity must be rubbing off, I guess' Maze said with a smile.

'Hm' was all Lucifer had to say to that, trying to focus on the task ahead.

As they stepped out of the elevator in the penthouse, Lucifer nearly knocked over the petite blonde on the way out.

'Linda' he exclaimed in surprise.

Linda hugged him and smiled up to him: ' Good to have you back, Lucifer! I'll see you shortly, just off on a little errand!'

Linda winked at Maze who winked back at her. Lucifer was more than flabbergasted. Again, no anger on Linda's part. And what was with the smiles and the winking? This was a seriously dangerous situation, after all.

Then he turned and gasped. So this is how you held an angel captive.


	4. Chapter 4

'Hello, Azrael' Lucifer tried to keep his voice as even as possible. His sister was sitting in the armchair near the window surrounded by what appeared to be a glass dome. Although it wasn't made of glass but of some sort of static that seemed to emanate from objects that had been positioned in a circle around the armchair. Lucifer took a few steps towards his sister until he could tell what these objects were: they were angel's wings but rather small, grey-brownish in colour and wilted.

'Oh, what happened here?' Lucifer heard Maze say in the background.

'Well, we had to restrain her as she thought you were taking too long to get her knife to her and she was on her way to snuff out Chloe's mum' his mother's voice came from beside him. Lucifer turned to his mother who was sitting on the sofa.

'Glad to see that the feathers from Amenadiel's wings are still holding enough power to keep her at bay' Maze said.

'Yes, but not for much longer, I'd say' Amenadiel suggested as he joined them in the brighter part of the apartment.

Lucifer noticed that all the furniture had been uncovered and that there were a considerable number of glasses on the bar counter. Someone clearly had been using his apartment during his absence. But that was a question for later.

Azrael spoke for the first time: 'Give me my knife and I'll be on my way'

'Lucifer?' Amenadiel prompted his brother.

'Im not just going to give her the knife without knowing what her plans are?' Lucifer could hear the impatience and sarcasm in his voice.

'No worries, brother. Give Azrael her knife -the barrier works just one way so we can reach in but she can't reach out. I'll interrupt the barrier briefly for Azrael to work her magic on Penelope and put it right up until we hear from Chloe that her mother is all better.'

Azrael made a guttural sound in her cage: 'You sound like you have started to care about these humans, too, Amenadiel. And I thought Lucifer was the only loopy one in the family.'

'We all care about her' Maze said in a rage as she approached Azrael. 'You keep your end of the bargain if you ever want to leave here again.'

'Well, you just said that these sad wings from Amenadiel's wings won't last forever so all I have to do is wait it out, right? Azrael shot back.

'Or' Maze said, 'I can cut you like this' as she reached into the cage holding one of her knives. Azrael jumped up from the chair in surprise and as a defense mechanism her wings started to open. However, as there was not enough room to unfold them completely, as soon as the wings came into contact with the static surrounding her which paralyzed her instantly. In one swift move, Maze used her knive to cut off a few feathers within her reach which she then added to the ones on the floor.

'Well, I guess your own feathers could keep you here for several decades - seeing as they grow back, right? Now, Lucifer, can you please give her the knife so she can heal Penelope?' Maze turned towards him as Azrael collapsed back onto her chair.

'Very well then' Lucifer said, taking the blade out from his suit pocket and stuck his hand through the barrier. "Chop chop, dear sister, get on with it. I intend to leave Los Angeles again before sundown.'

Maze bent down and took two feathers from the circle which resulted in a small hole appearing in the static.

'I won't forget what you've done to me, you stupid demon!' Azrael snarled in the direction of Maze before she raised both hands, palms up, for a few seconds and mumbled something under her breath with her eyes closed.'

'Done' she announced. 'Now lower this shield and let me go. I've had quite enough of this little family reunion.'

'Not until we hear from Chloe, sorry' said Amenadiel while Maze placed the two feathers on the ground again.

Less than a minute passed before Maze's phone began to ring. She picked up straight away and started smiling after a few seconds: 'That's such great news, Chloe… Yes, we'll see to that… See you soon.'

Lucifer looked around in astonishment: both his brother and his mother seemed genuinely relieved at the news of Penelope's sudden improvement. What was going on? What had they been up to during his absence?

Never mind, he had to leave Los Angeles again as soon as possible. He clearly wasn't ready to face Chloe without autodestructing and once Azrael had left earth Chloe and her family should be safe - for the time being.

'Now I demand that you let me go!' Azrael said in a shrill voice that did not become her. 'Thanks for nothing, mother. Hope not to lay eyes on you or these two degenerates of my brothers in a very long time.'

'Likewise, dear sister, likewise!' Amenadiel grinned as he started picking up feathers alongside his mother and Maze.

As the static shield extinguished itself, Azrael jumped from her seat and ran out onto the terrace. She spread her wings and shot skywards.

Suddenly, Lucifer felt really tired. He hadn't slept well in over two months, first because the realization of his feelings for Chloe had robbed him of his sleep and then the terrible blow that his mother had delivered had really shaken him to his core. He had so many questions for his family about Azrael: had she really only come for the knife? What had they talked about in the three weeks of her stay on earth? Had she argued with mother? Was she still a danger to him? And to Chloe and her family?

Enough, he told himself. Enough, you don't want anything to do with this family, right? Enough of these constant manipulations, mind games and tricks.

'Well, if that's all, mother, Amenadiel, Maze, I'll take my leave now! Looks like you have enough feathers to trap Azrael or other siblings should they come to importune us down here so you no longer need me.'

'Lucifer…' Maze began but he was already walking towards the elevator. 'There's just one more thing, a small favour I'd like to ask you.'

Lucifer stopped in his tracks. Mazakeen had been faithful to him for several thousands of years, the incident with Amenadiel withstanding, so perhaps he owed her one small favour.

'And what do I get in return, my beautiful demon?' he asked her with a smile as he turned to face her.

'More than you think you could ever want' Maze said, smiling back at him. Then she said into her phone: 'OK, Linda, please bring them upstairs.'

'You might want to sit down for this one, brother' Amenadiel suggested, leading Lucifer back to the sofa.


	5. Chapter 5

So here he was, sitting on his sofa wondering how he still hadn't left. Because that's what he wanted: leave Los Angeles behind him, where everything reminded him of Chloe.

Amenadiel had shooed their mother into the kitchen although she protested that she wanted to see whether she could actually be wrong about the whole thing to which Amenadiel answered 'Like you've never been wrong before, mother? Get a move on!'

Seconds later the elevator bell dinged and Lucifer turned involuntarily to see what people his favour to Maze involved. Linda ushered in three people, a black woman in her late fifties, early sixties; a young man in his twenties who was clearly on some sort of hippie trip; and a teenage girl with stunning blue eyes and black hair.

"Odd combination of humans, and not the sort Maze would usually hang out with" Lucifer thought to himself and cast a questioning glaze in Maze's direction. She smiled but didn't say what he should do with these humans.

'Thank you all for agreeing to come and see us on such short notice. You'll remember Ms Smith from our initial meetings. My colleague here' -Lucifer could hear a slight hesitation in Linda's voice as she pointed in his direction- 'will interview you separately so if Mike and Matilda could wait in this area near the elevator, that would be great.'

Lucifer could tell that Linda was nervous as she brought the black woman over to him. Even Maze seemed tense now, more on edge than she had been during the whole Azrael situation.

'So as we have told you before, this part of the study involves a deeper understanding of human desire', Linda said to the woman as she bid her sit down next to Lucifer. 'So if you could simply answer my colleague's questions…'

Linda paused and made a circular hand gesture in Lucifer's direction.

'So this is the favour you're asking of me, Maze? What is going on?' Lucifer hissed through his teeth, not caring whether the woman sitting next to him heard him or not.

'Yes. Go on, ask her! Her name is Cerise.' Maze prompted him.

Whatever, what were a few more minutes before he could get out of there?

'OK, Cerise' Lucifer said, changing the frown on his face into a fake smile as he turned to look the older woman in the eyes.

'Tell me, what do you truly desire?'

Cerise held his gaze for about seven seconds and then burst into a fit of laughter.

'What do you mean, what do I truly desire? And why are you staring at me like that?'

Lucifer's jaw dropped. Then he asked again, focusing all his mental energy on her.

Cerise smiled at him and said: 'Well, let's see. I hope for world peace, I'd like my grandchildren to go to college and I really desire fried chicken for dinner. No? Not the answers you were looking for?'

Lucifer started to feel lightheaded if such a thing was even possible for the Devil. He grabbed both Linda and Maze by their elbows and ushered them into his bedroom.

'Maze, Linda: what's this travesty?' he hissed at them. 'What are you trying to achieve?

'It's not a travesty, Lucifer' Maze offered. 'We're trying to make you see the truth!'

'What truth? Last time I heard that word was in that damned bar with you and mother!'

Lucifer was ready to storm out of the apartment when Linda stepped in front of him. He would have shoved almost anyone else out of his way but he owed Linda a lot. She grabbed him by the arms:

'No human can resist your charms, Lucifer. We couldn't make them resist you. So how could this be a sham? Think, Lucifer, think instead of acting rashly. Cerise is immune to you and we have reason to believe that the other two are, as well. Will you please double-check for us? Then we'll explain what this is about. I think you already know but you won't let yourself believe that it might actually be true.'

Damn, his therapist was good.

Less than five minutes later, Linda escorted the three test subjects into the elevator while Maze went behind the bar to pour Lucifer a large drink. All three of them had failed to unveil their deepest, darkest desires to the Devil.

His mind was reeling and he absentmindedly nodded in the direction of Amenadiel and his mother as they emerged from the kitchen. They all sat down and had a drink in silence for about a minute.

'So where's my explanation, Maze?'

The elevator went ding again.

'So what's this about? Am I losing my touch? Do I no longer have any control over humans?' Lucifer snarled in no particular direction.

'No, Lucifer, this is not about you.'

Lucifer spun around in his seat and stared at the woman who had spoken.

'This is about so-called miracle children like myself. You know, whose parents have a hard time having children and then get blessed by an angel. Looks like we all can resist the Devil's charms.'

Chloe had changed out of her evening dress and was wearing a loose blue sweater over her jeans. She was definitely skinnier than two months earlier and now that she had washed the makeup off her face, Lucifer could see dark circles under her eyes. Still, she had never looked more beautiful to him.

'Pour me one of those, please, Maze' Chloe said, breaking eye contact with Lucifer. 'It's been a long couple of months.'


	6. Chapter 6

'Now, mister' Chloe said after she had downed her whisky in one gulp, turning to Lucifer and taking his hands into hers, 'will you please explain to me why before vanishing into thin air you didn't probe into Mama Morningstar's fucked up theory that the only reason I even exist was to be 'put in your path'?'

Lucifer opened his mouth but he was unable to speak. Speaking about miracle children blessed by angels, referring to Charlotte as his mother - Chloe knew! Or rather finally believed what he had told her all along.

'I only did what I thought was the right thing to do, out of love, you know!'

'Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Corinthians 13:4, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, that describes all of your actions towards your son that I have witnessed' Chloe retorted.

'Since when do you quote from the Bible?' Lucifer asked and realized in the same second how silly that question sounded.

'Since I finally wrapped my brain around the fact that I've fallen for the actual Devil' said Chloe with a hint of a smile.

'You believe me, you finally believe me' Lucifer stammered in amazement, gazing down into Chloe's eyes. She squeezed his hands hard and drew small circles on them with her thumbs.

Then she withdrew her hands from his and reached behind the bar to grab a pile of papers which she dumped rather unceremoniously on the counter.

'Sorry, guys, you've heard this speech a few times already but seriously, Lucifer: do you really think that your father sent Amenadiel 35 years ago to put me on this planet just to toy with you? If he had been able to foresee that you were going to escape Hell, would he not have tried to hinder you from coming here in the first place? Also, you really believe that the only reason I exist is as a tool to hurt you? Do any of you realize how insulting and self-centered this assumption is? I've known you for what, close to 18 months now, Lucifer, so everything that I achieved in my life up until then, including bringing my daughter into this world and raising her, dealing with my father's death, doing a good job as a cop, a wife and a mother was all just preparation for whatever role I am supposed to fulfill in this twisted family feud of celestial beings?'

Chloe caught her breath and took another sip of whisky from her glass that Maze had refilled.

'Also, just because Amenadiel was only sent once to bless a couple doesn't mean that other angels didn't do the same! The three people you saw today all live in Los Angeles but I have found dozens more all around the country. Here's a list if you want to go and check them out. I'm sure there's thousands all around the world. They have a very similar story: the result a miracle pregnancy after years of trying, all of them work in jobs with a focus on helping others and, as we can say with a certain amount of certainty as of today, all of them are able to resist the Devil's… I mean, your charms. Not sure why they, why we don't fall for your hypnotic manipulations but perhaps it has something to do with the fact that our coming into existence has to do with divinity so we are less permeable to influence from celestial beings. Something like that anyway. What is more important is that Maze, Linda and I went to speak with the parents and they all had an encounter with a stranger who they only saw once shortly before they found out that they were expecting a child. From the descriptions of that stranger that we collected, Amenadiel and your mother think that it must be your brother Gabriel who blesses most of these miracle babies.'

'So you don't think that the two of us meeting was all part of a twisted plan on my father's part?' Lucifer asked, trying to keep his voice steady, trying to keep his growing sense of hope and relief under control.

'He finally got it' Maze said in mock shock. Linda put her index up to her mouth and shushed her friend.

Chloe let her head hang. 'Amenadiel' she said in no more than a whisper.

'Luci, when I found out that the woman I was sent to bless 35 years ago was Chloe's mother I was angry. Angry at father for manipulating me once again for some contorted plan which he never explains in full. I didn't really question mother's interpretation of the situation which with hindsight I should have done' he said, casting a side glance at Charlotte whose mouth was shut tight in a grimace of frustration. 'But Chloe has a point: how could he have known all that time ago that you were going to escape Hell? He would have found a way to keep you down there. So no, I don't think that you and Chloe were orchestrated somehow. I believe that your feelings for each other are real.'

Lucifer took a deep breath. 'I really want to believe that' he said and Amenadiel could see the growing hope in his brother's eyes. 'But why did he send you and not Gabriel?'

'I told you we would have to call on Gabriel' Chloe said. 'So work your magic, please, Mama Morningstar.'

'Very well' said Charlotte as she stood up and walked over to the door leading onto the terrace armed with a feather from Amenadiel's wings and one from Azrael's.

Lucifer wanted nothing more than to catch Chloe's eye so he turned towards her in his seat. She was already looking at him, tears filling her warm eyes and as soon as their gaze met she let out a small sigh.

"I refuse to believe that this isn't real' she whispered before sliding out of her seat and walking towards the two figures coming into the room through the glass doors.

 **Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I know that the spoilers for 2x14 introduce a new mystery woman and that on the show Lucifer and Chloe will have a rough ride before they get together (especially now that we got a 3** **rd** **seaon, it might take forever but definitely so worth it!) but I like the idea of her finally accepting the truth and fighting his corner knowing how much he has done for her already!**


	7. Chapter 7

'Long time no see, brother' Gabriel said, addressing Lucifer, before letting himself fall into the armchair that had held Azrael prisoner a short while earlier.

'OK, that's our cue' Amenadiel said, basically shoving his mother towards the elevator. Linda and Maze were already gathering their things and were ready to leave.

'But I want to stay with my children a little bit longer' Charlotte complained.

'Get a move on, Mother!' Amenadiel said and pressed the elevator button.

'Maze, darling, can I have one of those demonic drinks of yours before you go?' Gabriel said with a smile on his face and Maze obliged.

Then Gabriel turned to Chloe: 'And you, my dear, should really go back to eating more regularly, as I've told you last time we spoke.'

'You two have spoken before?' Lucifer asked, suddenly feeling defensive with regards of Chloe and stepping in front of her as if to protect her. Which was ridiculous because of their proximity he was now as vulnerable as any average human and Gabriel was a powerful angel. Perhaps not as powerful as Amenadiel and had been in his heyday or as Lucifer was when Chloe was at a certain distance from him but pretty close.

'Yes, Lucifer. We've spoken a couple of times' Chloe answered, letting her hand rest on his back as she moved past him again. 'Now, Gabriel while I know you're enjoying this immensely, can you please just tell us why in my case your father sent Amenadiel and not you? And can you tell Lucifer why there are miracle children such as myself in the first place?'

'Father decided to send Amenadiel after I had failed to bless your parents once before, Chloe. It is very rare but it does sometimes happen - maybe once every two hundred years or so- that one angel's power is not enough to bless humans with a child which is why a second angel is then dispatched to complete the task.'

'And why are miracle children so important?' Lucifer asked. 'Why would Father care that these people are born at all? It's not like humanity is not procreating enough!'

'Are you saying you'd rather we hadn't tried to help Chloe make it onto this planet?' Gabriel asked sarcastically while winking at Chloe.

'Of course not! But Father never struck me as being particularly preoccupied with the problems of individual humans. He doesn't intervene in human wars so why does he care about whether a couple has a child or not?' Lucifer was desperate to understand this point because if Chloe hadn't been put in his path it really looked like she had been put on a very specific path that required not one, but two angelic interventions.

'Well, Father once told me that his biggest mistake was to create humanity in his own, in our own image. Because let's be frank here, if humans struggle to choose between good and evil it is because we, too, struggle with those two polarities. All of us, some more than others. In a way, miracle humans such as Chloe and thousands like her have managed to keep a delicate balance in favour of good. Children who come into this world because of an angelic blessing tend to be selfless, work towards justice and peace and are generally 'good' people. There aren't nearly enough good people out there which is why I have been blessing couples all over the world for millennia now. However, it takes a lot of energy from me so I can't just bless every couple wanting a child.'

Lucifer sat down on the sofa because he felt that if the answer to his next question was not the one he was hoping for his knees might just buckle under him. Chloe sat down next to him and took his hand into hers, knowing what he was going to ask next.

'And Chloe's double angelic blessing, does that mean that she is more prone to develop feelings for a celestial being?'

'Well, I don't have a lot of other cases of infatuation between divine beings and humans to base my claim on because our two spheres are not really supposed to interact beyond the occasional angelic blessing. But no, these miracle children are no different to other human beings except for a stronger sense of justice and an innate need to do good. They are not necessarily more religious than ordinarily conceived children. Some of them are, and others aren't at all. You know, they have as much free will as every other human being. In all areas of their lives, including who they show affection to.'

Lucifer exhaled rather loudly. His heart had been hammering like mad ever since Chloe had entered the penthouse and now it seemed like it might just jump out of his chest. So he avoided looking at Chloe for the moment because if he looked at her he knew he would be unable to stop himself from kissing her. And he'd rather not do that in front of his smug brother.

'Stop torturing him and get on with it' Chloe said rather harshly and then, clearly as an afterthought, she added 'please.'

'Chloe's lived in L.A. all her life and you decided to settle here without any divine intervention, right? So no, Father did not put her in your path. Actually, we were completely unaware of her existence until you put Chloe on our radar when you bargained for her life.'

'You bargained for my life? When?' The surprise in Chloe's voice made him turn. Resist the urge to kiss her and answer her, damn it!

'In the hangar, when Malcolm shot me. I promised I would go back to run Hell if only he spared your life.'

'Oh Lucifer!' said Chloe, overcome with emotion. She leaned her forehead onto his shoulder and again he could barely keep from drawing her into his arms for a kiss.

'You two are so adorable' said Gabriel with sarcasm and disdain clearly distinguishable in his tone of voice. 'You are, of course, going to get each other killed but you are cute.'

'Is that a threat, brother?' Lucifer retorted in a menacing voice.

'No, not at all. I am the maker of miracles, the giver of life. And for the moment it looks like good old Dad is enjoying this soap opera too much to intervene. I was just referring to the fact that she makes you vulnerable and that therefore you can't really save her if, let's say, someone is holding a gun to her head. Because the moment you get close to her you lose your immortality…'

'So this little inconvenience is not a small present from your father?' Chloe asked Gabriel, straightening up again.'

'No, as I've just said we were unaware of the fascination he had developed in your regards until the day Mother escaped Hell. So it has nothing to do with us up in the Silver City.'

'That'll have to do for now then' Chloe said, suddenly standing up. 'Do you still have urgent questions for your brother, Lucifer?'

Lucifer shook his head. No, he had received several unexpected, amazing, mindblowing answers today. He stood up, too.

'Well, thank you for coming' Chloe said with a feeble smile in the direction of Gabriel.

'Like I had much of a choice' he grumbled but then he returned Chloe's smile.

'She is a feisty one, brother. I see why she's made such a mark on you' Gabriel said as he took a few steps towards Lucifer and hugging him briefly.

'Feel free to come by and say hello next time you're in the area blessing another couple, Gabriel' said Chloe. 'Off you go, off you flutter, whatever!'

Lucifer couldn't help but smile at her cheekiness. He accompanied his brother out onto the balcony and watched him as he took of into the skies.

Finally, he was alone with Chloe.


	8. Chapter 8

Lucifer was at Chloe's side within a few seconds and immediately she wrapped her arms around his torso, letting out a long sigh. His arms tightened around her and his chin sank onto her head.

'Let me briefly call the hospital to check on my mother and say good night to Trixie over the phone', Chloe said softly after a few minutes.

Lucifer nodded and reluctantly released her from his arms.

'Oh, and Maze left some food in the kitchen. Do you mind getting me something? I think all I had today was a granola bar Dan gave me… correction, half a granola bar' Chloe chuckled as she pulled out her phone and a half-eaten granola bar from her pocket.

Penelope was out of the ICU after a miracle recovery but was already sleeping. The phone call with Trixie didn't last long, either, because the upsetting events of the last two days had left the little urchin truly exhausted, too.

'Thanks, Dan. Yes, I'll do that. OK. I'll call you in the morning. Bye' was all Lucifer heard as he returned from the kitchen with milk, fruit and yogurt.

'Fancy breakfast at 8pm?' he said, trying to sound chirpy while his nervousness grew with each passing second now that he was alone with Chloe. There were so many things he wanted to talk to her about but she looked so tired and worn out.

'Perfect!' Chloe smiled as patted the sofa next to her while she peeled a banana and broke it in half, offering him one bit. He sat down, took the piece of fruit but couldn't bring himself to eat.

Chloe chewed her fruit and then sipped some of the milk.

'Sorry, I think I'm stalling' she said with a nervous smile.

'Stalling?'

'I have so many questions for you and several dozens of apologies to make. And I'm sure you have questions for me? But right now most of all I just want to kiss you' Chloe blushed at her honesty.

Lucifer couldn't hide his surprise at this. As he leaned in closer, however, Chloe put her hand onto his chest and stopped him.

'But first I need to ask you the most important question of all: are you satisfied with Gabriel's explanation of my situation? I mean, do you accept that I'm not simply a pawn in a twisted plan on your father's part? Do you believe that what we have is real?'

As she spoke these words, Chloe's eyes had filled with tears which were now flowing freely down her cheeks.

'I've been such an idiot, haven't I?' Lucifer answered, equally struggling with his emotions although he was able to keep his tears at bay.

'Yes, Chloe, yes! And you're right, I should have questioned mother's theory when she first told me. But I was so heart-broken and angry that I couldn't take a step back and do that. I'm so sorry!'

Chloe pulled him closer and smiled through her tears.

'Good, because I don't think I can handle another one of your disappearances, OK?'

Then her lips found his.

'Wow' Chloe sighed into Lucifer's chest a while later. He chuckled and then reluctantly straightened up. Chloe felt his body stiffen every so slighty and she knew that he had an equally important question for her. She nodded and gazed at him softly.

'Since when have you known? And who told you?'

She could hear the anxiousness in his voice and smiled.

'Well, you've been telling me since the day we met. It just took me a while to accept the truth. And I feel rather silly about it now - you pushed me several times but I never really took that final step until I had no other choice. When you left without a word I was at a loss at first. Maze, Linda and Amenadiel all said they didn't know where you were and why you had left and while I could see that they were all worried about you, I knew they weren't telling me the whole truth. And so I went over every conversation we had had in those chaotic moments and suddenly, a few days after you had disappeared, I remembered your question when you came storming into my bathroom that night. I was panicking so much I didn't really register what you were saying… It only struck me later that you had been really upset…'

Chloe could see that Lucifer was reliving that particular moment and some of the fear he had felt for her then was showing on his face now. So she cupped his face in her hands for a few seconds before continuing.

'I just couldn't figure out how we could have gone from our moment of sheer happiness on campus to you being angry at me within a few hours so I decided to check what you did after we said goodbye at the university. I checked the GPS for your mobile phone for that evening which led me to the bar. Which led me to the picture of Amenadiel and my mother. And that resulted in a spectacular epiphany: if Amenadiel hadn't changed in 35 years that meant he was immortal. Which meant that you'd been telling me the truth all along. And then I knew why you had left, too. When I asked you how I looked in hospital you said 'heaven-sent'. All I needed to do after that - well, after a few whiskies - was to get Amenadiel, Maze and Linda in a room and make them spill the beans. They put up a fight for a while but the more they denied it the more I knew it to be true. And let's just say, it was one long night once they did tell me more about everything.'

'Everything?' Lucifer shuddered involuntarily.

'Well, not the several thousands of years of your existence, of course. But you know, how you're normally immortal and invincible but not around me. How you had Linda and Maze flatline you to get the formula for my antidote in Hell. That your mother took over Charlotte's body. Amenadiel bringing Malcolm back from the dead and then sending him to kill you. Your deal with your father to keep me safe when Malcolm shot you…'

Chloe could see the distress on Lucifer's face as she listed all the things he had secretly done for her. She gently took his face into her hands and gave him a lingering kiss.

'And…' Lucifer couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

'And Uriel, yes. I know about Uriel' said Chloe softly.

Lucifer turned away from her and let his head sink. How could she possibly be OK with him taking his brother's life?

'I'm so sorry, Lucifer' Chloe said kneeling down in front of Lucifer and lifting his chin so that their eyes met. There was no judgment in her gaze, only sorrow and understanding.

Lucifer let out a sob.

'I'm so sorry you were put in that impossible situation. Giving up your mother or letting me die. I'm sorry I was cruel to you when you were struggling with your guilt. And I'm sorry I gave you the feeling that you couldn't confide in me, that I would never understand. Because I do understand and I hope that you know now that there isn't a single thing that you can't tell me.'

Lucifer couldn't take any more. He leaned forward into Chloe's arms and held on for dear life as he cried into her neck.

When he had calmed down, Chloe gently took his head in her hands and made him look at her.

'Oh, and I'm sorry I told you you had a God complex' she smirked. Finally, a smile appeared on Lucifer's face.

'I think you said several dozen apologies? Keep going, please!'

Chloe was glad to see him smile and standing up, pulled him onto his feet.

'OK, I think I can remember a few more apologies. I'm afraid you might have to hear them in bed though because I need to lie down. Come on!'

'You're staying over?' Lucifer stammered.

'I am' said Chloe turning around to face him 'but I don't think I'll have the energy for much more than a good night kiss, I'm afraid. And you look like you could do with some sleep, too.'

'Well, I am the Devil so I need less sleep than humans do…' Lucifer teased her.

'That's all well and good, but don't you think you owe me at least one proper date, at a restaurant with no stewardesses interrupting us, before… you know?'

Lucifer's grin disappeared. It was true, they hadn't had a proper date yet.

'I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot! Of course…' he mumbled.

'No, you're not an idiot. Now come to bed!' Chloe said, pulling Lucifer into an embrace.

'I'm so glad I found my way back to you' he whispered into her hair as they moved into his bedroom.


End file.
